A number of advances have been made over the years to improve the safety and functionality of snowboard bindings. However, those bindings still suffer from some shortcomings both in terms of their safety and convenience of use.
For example, circumstances sometimes occur in which a rider is involved in an incident such as a crash that, while not harmful in itself, may nonetheless place the rider in danger. By way of illustration, a rider may get stuck in a tree well simply by riding too close to a tree. Although there may have been no crash, or only a minor crash, and possibly only a minor fall involved, it is well known that tree wells can be dangerous and, as such, the rider who falls into one may be in a potentially life threatening situation.
A significant part of the danger posed by tree wells is that it can be quite difficult for the rider to extricate himself, and riders have been known to suffocate, or die of hypothermia, in the attempt. Escape from a tree well may be complicated significantly by the fact that the boots of the rider are still attached to his snowboard. This is because conventional snowboard bindings are fixed to the snowboard, such as by way of fasteners, and the rider can only get out of the bindings by releasing the buckles that hold the boot of the rider in the binding. Such snowboard bindings are not designed, or intended, to automatically release the rider from the snowboard. As well, it is not uncommon for a rider to end up in a head-down orientation in a tree well. When the rider is positioned in this way, it may be difficult, or impossible, for the rider to reach and release the binding.
Moreover, the rider may be in an awkward position that makes it difficult or impossible to reach the bindings and unbuckle them. Thus, in this scenario, the snowboard binding may impair, or even prevent, the rider from escaping his predicament. This could be particularly problematic, for example, in a backcountry scenario where there may be few other people nearby who could readily lend assistance to the trapped rider.
As a further illustrative example of some shortcomings of conventional snowboard bindings, it is not uncommon for novice riders, in particular, to get their snowboard caught on a chair, rope, tow, tram, gondola, or other equipment when the rider is loading or unloading. Because the lift typically cannot stop immediately, the rider may find himself being dragged, pulled, or flipped by his snowboard for some distance. In some cases, the forces involved may be significant enough to cause injury to the rider.
Other shortcomings of typical snowboard bindings may be more a matter of convenience than safety. For example, when novice riders, particularly younger riders, crash or fall, they are still connected to their snowboard. It can be difficult for these riders to get back on their feet and begin riding again. This is particularly so if the rider should happen to fall in relatively deep snow.
Moreover, even if a rider is experienced, it is not uncommon for riders to be involved in crashes or falls. If such a crash or fall occurs in deep snow, for example, it can be quite difficult and time consuming for the rider to dig out and return to riding if the board is still attached to the boots of the rider, as is typically the case. Likewise, if a user is caught in an avalanche, it may be desirable to be able to release the snowboard as quickly as possible so as to increase the chances of the rider for survival.
In view of problems such as those noted, and others, what is needed is a snowboard binding configured to enable the rider to release himself from the snowboard at any time on his initiative. As well, the snowboard binding should be configured to release the user from the snowboard with little or no effort on the part of the user. For example, the user should not have to operate any of the buckles of the snowboard binding to be released from the snowboard. Moreover, the snowboard binding should enable the boot of the rider to remain buckled into a portion of the binding both during and after release of the rider from the snowboard. Finally, the snowboard binding should be compatible with contemporary snowboard designs so that it can be used without requiring significant modifications to the snowboard.